Overcoming Self Doubts

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sandyn

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Have any of you finished a novel and then been afraid to submit it anywhere?

I am so new to this process I don't know where to begin. I've worked up a short (probably one page) synopsis and a query letter, but have doubts about both of them. I have questions about genre and whether to query agents or publishers or both.

There is so much information going round and round my head I'm afraid I'll do something wrong. Then I ask myself if there is a really wrong way to do things. After all, aren't these agent and publishers people too?

I am so lost...
 

JoNightshade

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Please ignore blacbird, he's our local pessemist. :)

If you're unsure about your synopsis and query letter, post them in the Query letter area and let other people tell you how you can improve them! You'll get a lot of help from this site.
 

clara bow

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Have any of you finished a novel and then been afraid to submit it anywhere?

I haven't been afraid to submit, but I get raging self-doubts *after* i start submitting, like holy rotten pen, Batman, I'm an astoundingly sucky writer. What was I thinking? I don't know why the doubts aren't enough to stop me, though. :tongue

I am so lost...

Then this might be a sign to approach this next step with extreme caution. Don't be afraid to let your manuscript sit and just research the industry. Read any agent/editor/author blogs/web sites/articles you can find as it relates to your book as well as your need to gain insights into the process. Google agents like there's no tomorrow. Join any free online workshops offered by authors that you read, if available. Etc.

Whatever it takes so you don't feel lost. Information is a huge factor in alleviating anxiety. I've been going at this for five years now and I wish I had taken more time to do research in the beginning (but now, especially with more agent blogs, people have access to more info than was available online five years ago). Still, I know I could have done more. This is take a deep breath time. good luck in your querying!
 

KTC

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I always just finish a novel and put it aside. I don't know if that will ever change. I'm trying to make it change. Maybe this time...

It's hard to overcome self-doubts.
 

Novelhistorian

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Researching the market carefully before submitting is always the best idea, but you can also talk yourself into a negative corner very easily. If you want to, you can always read the "don't do thats" section of every advice column or blog or reference book and believe you've committed them all and deserve to be horsewhipped as a prelude to dying unpublished.

So maybe it's time to take a step back. Look on AgentQuery or other trusted websites to try to figure out what you've got and how to pitch it. (There are good books about different genres that explain what distinguishes them from one another.) Perfect your query, maybe get some trusted beta readers to read the novel, put the book aside and reread it yourself when your head is clear. When you have a firm grasp on what you've done, if you believe it's good enough--not perfect; nothing ever is--submit it. Try to roll with the punches. You may need to revise or shape your work. But never let anyone tell you that you'll never succeed or that you've done it all wrong.
 

Azraelsbane

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Definitely done this. My first novel is forever in the trunk. :) I've decided it will only see the light of day if I do a complete rewrite, as it is most certainly a steaming pile of... well, you know. ;) I never queried it.

However, I recently finished polishing my 2nd novel, and I promised myself and my husband (pushy bastard) that I'd query this one.

I agree with posting your query/synopsis in SYW. It's an awesome tool and there are plenty of helpful people on here. :)

Also, make sure you research the agents before randomly sending out queries. It will save trees and time.
 

JoNightshade

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I honestly can't see myself going to all the trouble to actually write a novel, torture myself with edits, and then NOT submit it. I mean, if I don't try, what the heck was all that hard work for?

Granted, just writing a first draft is pretty fun and I can see doing that and just letting it sit. And if that's what you want to do, I wouldn't fret.

But if you've worked on it and rewritten and all that, ya gotta submit. You owe it to your novel!!! :)
 

blacbird

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I honestly can't see myself going to all the trouble to actually write a novel, torture myself with edits, and then NOT submit it. I mean, if I don't try, what the heck was all that hard work for?

Ah, but you really begin to ask this question in earnest only after you've submitted many many many times, and got nowhere.

caw
 

Azraelsbane

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I honestly can't see myself going to all the trouble to actually write a novel, torture myself with edits, and then NOT submit it. I mean, if I don't try, what the heck was all that hard work for?

Granted, just writing a first draft is pretty fun and I can see doing that and just letting it sit. And if that's what you want to do, I wouldn't fret.

But if you've worked on it and rewritten and all that, ya gotta submit. You owe it to your novel!!! :)

I agree with you to a point, but I think sometimes one novel is just a springboard for the next. What's the point? Experience, growth, evolution of style. In my opinion, writing a novel and going through it for edits is never a waste. I've edited my first novel God knows how many times, but it's still not publishable. However, my second novel benefited from all the work I put into the first.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't query their finished works. That's what we're all working towards after all, but I think there's a difference between the evil self doubt that creeps in and the voice in your head that says, "You know what, this just isn't the one, but the next one will be it."
 

Pamster

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I agree with you guys about submitting if you're done revising and revamping a novel. It just makes sense to and see what happens. I sat on my first novel for like five years before ever editing and revising it, let alone submitting it. I did write another book and then another but it wasn't for a long time before I got over the self doubting fears of failure and fear of success. You can do it sandyn. :)
 

Sassee

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Have any of you finished a novel and then been afraid to submit it anywhere?

I am so new to this process I don't know where to begin. I've worked up a short (probably one page) synopsis and a query letter, but have doubts about both of them. I have questions about genre and whether to query agents or publishers or both.

There is so much information going round and round my head I'm afraid I'll do something wrong. Then I ask myself if there is a really wrong way to do things. After all, aren't these agent and publishers people too?

I am so lost...

You're ahead of me... I'm still trying to revise the first draft and I *really* suck at trying to form summaries (synopsis), even for my own work. Which I figured out when I got reamed on another forum for my story sounding like complete ass... really my own fault for not explaining it in better detail. I left out a major plot point and didn't explain my character's reactions to things, so they got the completely wrong impression. Go me!

But anyway, I know what you mean. Even if I manage to revise this thing until my eyes bleed, I'd still be afraid to submit it anywhere. As long as I don't submit it I can live it my own bubble of reality where my work is worthy of being penned in gold.

Then again, I'm pretty masochistic. I would probably submit it anyway. lol
 

Kudra

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I honestly can't see myself going to all the trouble to actually write a novel, torture myself with edits, and then NOT submit it. I mean, if I don't try, what the heck was all that hard work for?

Yes, but see, when you've done nothing with it, only you know what you've written, only you can judge whether it's good or bad, only you know how excruciating terrible you are.

But when you send it out, no matter how hard you've worked on it, they might think so too. And that hurts. Even before it's actually happened.

I'm not helping, am I?
 

Monkey

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Definitely try Share Your Work!

If you PM me, I'll go check your stuff out and help if I can.

Now, a little disclaimer: ANYTHING can be critiqued. You WILL NOT get "Oh, that's wonderful" on the SYW board. You will get people shredding your work like there's no tomorrow with the honest-to-goodness intent of making your work the very best that it can be and - hopefully - irresistable to agents.


Researching agents and publishers will do you a world of good. I hate that part, but then, it's a big part of being a professional writer rather than a hobby writer. I agree that AgentQuery is a good place to look around, but I would caution you to be DARN confident of your query before you start sending it out. One agent = one chance.

Really, you've done the hard part. Not many people actually *complete* an entire novel. Congrats, you are a writer!

Now, if you want to be a *paid* writer, you have to develop some tough skin, make your work shine, and sell it to a qualified agent/publisher. Get to it!


(PS: Don't EVER pay an agent or publisher. Make *them* pay *you*.)
 

sandyn

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Thanks so much to all of you. I actually am having the novel read by two people I trust right now. I have told them to tear it up...really let me know if it's drivel or if they like it, and why.

I guess I'm just skittish about the query/synopsis part of the process. I don't want to make a mistake on just an important thing and having never done one, I don't know how. But then, I'd never written a novel either... I actually believe in the novel and I think it's quite good. So I'll do my research and submit it. If I don't, I'll never know.

Thanks to all who have replied so far. I'm so glad I found this site. You are a great bunch!
 

WriterGirl2007

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I can understand about having self doubts! For me, it's not so much about submitting, but about writing the novel itself.
 
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Penguin Queen

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Go for it! Reasearch is important, and getting the synopsis and agent letter right.
Unless you are approaching a small press, I woudlnt bother approaching any publishers directly, but concentrate on agents instead.
Don't get discouraged by rejection slips - in all likelihood, you will have enough of them to paper a small room by the time an agent takes you on. This is perfectly normal and happens to everybody. Even JK Rowling. :)

Good luck!
 

Azure Skye

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Research could calm some of your anxieties. As for the self-doubt, sometimes you just have to get used to it hanging around like an uninvited guest and keep working in spite of it.
 
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